FEMARA
Comments
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Will do, gardengumby! It's such a crap shoot and I haven't really noticed the melatonin helping with staying asleep, even using the time released version. I do occasionally use a .25 mg Xanax to put me back to sleep if I wake up and then notice my mind racing but would prefer not to. There seems to be a fair amount of gals on sleep aides like Ambien but I'm not sure I want to do that.
Please wave at Seattle for me...I used to live there (my sister still does and I'm going to be visiting at Christmas...SO excited) and soak up some of the rain for me (I'll send you some of our hot weather since y'all haven't had much yet this summer)!
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No we haven't!!! But, it's been much better than LAST summer was - so I'm really not complaining. Like you, I don't want to take Ambien and then find myself sleep-driving somewhere
. I don't drive all that much when I'm awake! I'd suggest we meet up at Christmas, but I'm going to be in Hawaii then - getting warm.... 
I haven't tried the time-release melatonin. I am lucky in that tylenol kind of knocks me out, so if I can't sleep I take a tylenol. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. Usually I don't get too much into the mind racing anymore - just lay there going "I need to get up in three hours!!"
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Hi ladies. I would like to share my experience with femara. Sept '11 I started femara & almost immediately my joint pain began, there were also other side effects. I added all sort of supplements to my regimen along with exercise. My body felt like it was aging by the hour. I remained optomistic about taking it becaue I wanted to do all I could to stop the beast from returning. During that time I was reading BCO daily, especially this thread.Anyway...I saw my MO in May & after discussing with him the possible use of an estrogen cream & he decided to switch me to tamoxifan which I began June 1st. I feel like my old self again!! I just wanted to share this. When I asked why he didn't put me on this in the 1st place, he said because femara is 1-2% better than tamoxifan. Really??? Doesn't that equal out to be about the same? Considering all the side effects & the need for zometa to prevent bone loss (which I got very sick from) I wish I would have known more when I was diagnosed. Being on BCO has been so informative to me. I just wanted to share my story. I wish all you wonderful ladies well.
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Sleeping issues: check!
My mind races when I lay down for bed...like many of you, I'm sure. It makes falling asleep difficult. Sometimes, I wind up with a panic attack. Like someone is squeezing my torso-can't catch my breath-heart racing. It lasts about 5-10 minutes. I try "belly breathing" and it helps me out of the panic attack.
So...I originally tried Ambien 10mg. Way too much! It worked awesome, but I woke up feeling a bit nauseous and a minor headache. It would go away within 20 minutes...but still. So, I would break the pill in half and that got the job done.
However, my Onc didn't want me to continue taking them as he said it willaffect your REM deep sleep phase.
He recommended Melatonin. I got the 10mg extended release. Didn't do a thing.
Next up...he said try taking a couple of Benadryl (50mg). I don't know why but this doesn't sound like something I want to do, so I haven't.
He also gave me a Rx for Ativan .5mg for the panic attacks.
I tried taking it when I lay down for bed. Viola! Works like a charm. I sleep good and only wake up. A couple of times a night cuz of hot flashes.
So, for now, I'm sticking with the low dose of Ativan.0 -
tenaj - it's great that you are doing well on tamoxifen. For me it was the opposite. My MO started me on tamoxifen and it almost killed me. The SE's were much worse, the pain, exhaustion - everything - much worse. Plus I got blood clots. So, it's all a crap shoot. One person's poison is another's medicine!
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Scottiee - any drink with caffeine will dehydrate you to a degree, so if your coffee or/and tea contain caffeine, they can not be counted equally toward your fluid intake in a day. Diet coke, diet pepsi also have the caffeine.
You may just be coming down with a virus - flu bug and therefore the fever and nausea and lack of energy.
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Superfoob,
I started taking benadryl for a couple of years and it helped just enough to get me to sleep, then I had to add Melatonin. That does not work so well and I'm on Ambien extended which seems to work well. I wake up fine without waking up 2 or 3 times a night now. I used to go almost 3 days without much sleep without it.
Glad the Ativan is working for you.
Terri
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Those of you taking the Femara at 7PM, just a thought-I take mine just before I go to bed. I also take 1 over the counter generic tylenol pm; I fall asleep after just reading a page or 2. I sleep solid for about 4 hours (I go to bed around 10), so 2ish I wake up, because no matter how much peeing the dog does before we go to bed, she's up wanting out. I let her out, she does her business & comes back in 10 minutes or so later (less if its nasty out). I generally fall right back to sleep although since June, when my Mom passed away, I find it takes me alot longer to go back to sleep. I'm afraid to try to take anything additional that late because I'm afraid I'll oversleep. But -usually taking the pill just before I go to bed works well for me.0
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Eph I take mine the same time you do at bed time with melatonin 3mg and does just fine. If I have to get up it is because I have to, you know. But go right back to sleep and wake up on my own refreshed.
As you all say we are different in how we deal with the meds.
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Eph3 12: I am like you if I am awakened during the night it is difficult to go back to sleep. Don't know if this will help but i have a little dog that needs to "go" during the night so I now leave a puppy pad for her & she uses it...only at night or during the day if we are away for a long time.
I take my pill every morning & so far it is not bothering me other than I am very emotional...crying at the drop of a pin.
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I read recently that research now shows that caffeine is not dehydrating:
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All I know is that coffee makes me "pee"...that is a form of dehydration...I drink it anyhow...love it.
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It's good news for me if now they say caffeine is not dehydrating!
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I drink water all day and that makes me pee, too. I wouldn't say that's dehydrating, though.
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I drink water all day and that makes me pee, too. I wouldn't say that's dehydrating, though.
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I drink iced tea all day long every day - winter and summer. Thanks for the link cfdr!!!
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I'm here to report on Femara and its affect on the immune system. I saw my oncologist yesterday, and he said I can go off the Femara a month before my next attempt for reconstruction. Then I can stay off the drug until the reconstruction is finished, TE through implant (if I get that far). He hasn't had a patient with my history of infections, but my blood work looks good, and I've been on it for 16 months. Since I'll be on it for 5 years, he doesn't see it as a problem. That news improved my outlook. It's one more preventive measure I can take before the next attempt.
I take Trasodone to sleep and it doesn't give me a hangover in the morning. I was being treated for an anxiety disorder before I was diagnosed with BC. I was taking Celexa, but my doctor switched me to Lexapro, and my hot flashes have doubled. The oncologist said the Celexa must have had something to help with the hot flashes that is not in the Lexapro. Has anyone had any luck with Paxil or Effexor and hot flashes?
Alteril is an OTC sleep aid. Sometimes I take that if I wake up to use the bathroom and can't get back to sleep. Hope this helps.
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Have just googled "coffee as a duretic" gave some good information & the bottom line was that coffee in moderation (as most things) was no worse than water . I found the article very interesting and was worth the read. It was by Drsugar and of course was for information only, not medical advise.
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jlmg, what is the effect of femara on the immune system?
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Momine, I'm not exactly sure what exactly happens, but the literature states it can raise the body's lipids and interfere with kidney function. That's probably why liver and kidney functions are tested by the oncologist. Since I've had so many infections and struck out 3 times at reconstruction, I want to prepare as much as I can to fight another infection when I try again in November. I was so relieved my oncologist didn't sweep my concerns under the rug, and agreed to let me stay off Femara before and after the surgery, if I'm lucky enough to keep the TE. I have to say my general health is good. I didn't get the flu shot and was healthy this winter.
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Ok, well good luck with the surgery.
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I just wanted to report that I have been on Femara for a year. I have not experienced any significant side effect. Once in a while I will have a series of hot flashes (more like warm surges) but then they go away for a time. During the year I have changed my diet dramitically. I eat foods that are as fresh as possible and with minimal processing (eating clean). I also have eliminated all alcohol as alcohol increases the risk for reoccurance. I also drink coffee only in the morning. I take my Femara before I go to bed. I strongly believe all of these actiions this has helped me mitigate the side effects from Femara.
Thank you for listening.
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Thank you Ktab96.....It is so nice to hear from someone who has NOT had SE from Femara...good for you. I, myself have been on it for 5 months now....my emotional roller coaster is slightly abating, working on my thinning hair by taking 5000mg of Biotin per day and I can see some improvements, at least my hair feels a lot healthier and I will ask my hairdresser what new growth he sees. I am one of the women who has not experienced bone or joint pain, feel lucky about that. I had major issues with nausea for a few weeks, which also seems to have abated, along with a lot of anxiety Inwas experiencing. Inhave, however, started to see a therapist (2nd visit tomorrow) to help me cope with the whole BC experience, and she has convinced me that she can. That's my
Femara history in a nutshell.......Thank you again for posting, it will be quite a relief to a lot of women just starting out like myself.0 -
Congratulations ktab and scottie. Sorry, of course, that you had to join the BC ranks, but glad that you aren't experiencing bad side effects from Femara/letrozole. My joint/muscle pain has been ameliorated to a certain extent by completely removing grain from my diet. I still have some pain, but it's definitely more manageable - most pain medications (aspirin, nsaids) I can't take, and the others that affect your senses, I won't take, so i had to find a way to work out the kinks without drugs.... Since cherries always make my body ache (though I love them) I'm passing by all the fresh cherries for sale and will be for another four years....
but I prefer no cherries and no grains to the body aches. I still drink some wine and an occasional beer - but the beer, being grain based, doesn't work for me as well. Hard alcohol doesn't work at all. Like you, scottie, I take biotin, though I've been taking 8000mcg per day. It has definitely helped both my hair and my nails. 0 -
Hi Gardengumby.....Did you research the 8000mcg....perhaps my 5000 is not enough?
Can you explain how you came up with 8000.0 -
LOLOLOLOL no research - just purchased the bottle that was on sale at the health food store that day. Then when I ran out I bought 5000mcg and it didn't work quite as good, so went back to the original. I can't remember the brand, I'll try to remember to check and pm you with it - but since my memory is GONE with femara/letrozole don't depend on it
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I use Natures Bounty Hair, Skin & Nails. It has a new formula of 5000 mg Biotin per Serving.
I take three per day.
I shop at Ralph's (soCal) and they always have Buy One Get One Free.
I used to have a bare patch right in front. No more.
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superfoob - is it 5000 mg or mcg? 5000 mg sounds like an awful lot... especially 3 per day.
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It is mcg. Oopsie.
Three caplets= 5000 mcg (5mg)
http://www.naturesbounty.com/optimalsolutions/035710
I hoot that works. It goes straight to the product info. From there, you can download the product label.
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Having trouble with my thumb and wrist aches a lot.Have been wearing brace but does't help. My question can you have cortiozone injection in wrist. It on side i had breast removed. I know cant take blood pressure or draw blood on that arm just wondering about the injection.
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